Electrical voltage sticks of a contacting or non-contacting type are known in the art. The prior art voltage sticks sometimes include a metal casing that may be coated with an electrically insulative material. One drawback of the prior art voltage sticks is that a scratch in the nonconducting coating on the metal casing may cause a harmful shock if a naked wire is inadvertently contacted.
Another drawback of the prior art voltage sticks is that they sometimes have sensors and integrated circuits disposed within a probe tip that is bonded to the stick. This often makes the voltage stick unnecessarily fragile and relatively difficult to repair.
The voltage stick of the present invention comprises an elongate and hollow casing member that has a front and a back. A rotatable and removable front tip is attached to the front of the casing member and a sensor is disposed within the casing member for sensing the presence of a voltage when the sensor is positioned adjacent an electrically conductive member. The casing member has an indicator and an integrated circuit entirely disposed within the casing member for better protection. The integrated circuit is adapted to receive a signal from the sensor and transmitting the signal to the indicator. A power source is disposed within the casing member for powering the sensor, the integrated circuit and the indicator. Because the tip is rotatable and removable, an operator may access the inside of the casing member by carefully removing the removable tip.